PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — March 17, 2026 (The Oklahoma Post)
When Jacob deGrom left the New York Mets for the Texas Rangers after the 2022 season, Mets fans understandably took to social media with the kind of measured, proportionate grief the internet is known for. What the organization received in exchange was a compensatory draft pick. The 134th pick overall. Pick No. 134 is not a franchise cornerstone. Pick No. 134 is what gets you a complimentary tote bag at a public radio membership drive.
Then A.J. Ewing showed up.
AJ Ewing Auto /25 PSA 10 2023 Bowman 1st Orange Wave Refractor New York Mets RC | eBay
Andrew Joseph Ewing grew up in Springboro, Ohio, a multi-sport athlete who played football and baseball, a natural right-hander whose father had him learn how to swing from the left side as a kid. That small biographical detail matters more than it appears. Ewing is now one of the fastest men in the Mets’ farm system, a left-handed hitter with an advanced approach, an arm good enough to throw out baserunners from center field in spring training, and a reputation that travels faster than he does, which is saying something.
He was named Great Western Ohio Conference Player of the Year in 2023 after winning the triple crown of his high school conference, hitting .464 with 4 home runs and 37 RBI to go along with 19 stolen bases according to Metsmerized Online He had a commitment to the University of Alabama but chose to sign with the Mets for a $675,000 bonus, roughly $200,000 above the assigned slot value for the 134th pick. Alabama’s loss. Tuscaloosa will survive.
Here is what the Mets actually got.
In 2025, Ewing hit a combined .315/.401/.429 across Single-A, High-A and Double-A, stealing 70 bases in 81 attempts at an 86% success rate, the most stolen bases of any player in the Mets’ entire minor league system. He blazed through three levels in one season. He spent the majority of 2025 in center field, where he profiles best, demonstrating above-average defensive instincts including elite jump reads off the bat.
The scouts who track the Mets’ system are not using restrained language. Mets director of player development Andrew Christie described Ewing as “a freak athlete” who hits it hard, runs, steals bases and maintains a genuinely good idea of the strike zone. MLB A former Mets farmhand who watched him work in spring described him as “so twitchy.” These are not words people use when they are trying to be polite.
COLLECT IT BEFORE HE GETS TO QUEENS
If you believe in A.J. Ewing before the rest of the country does, there is a card for that. A 2023 Bowman 1st Orange Wave Refractor autograph, numbered to 25, PSA 10, is currently available on eBay. One of 25 in existence. The man signed it. PSA looked at it and said 10. That is as good as it gets.
AJ Ewing Auto /25 PSA 10 2023 Bowman 1st Orange Wave Refractor New York Mets RC | eBay
The Mets rejected a trade offer for this kid. Baseball Prospectus has him ranked 38th in all of baseball. He is 21 years old and already in Double-A. You do the math.
Entering 2026, Ewing ranks No. 4 in the Mets’ system according to both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America according to Sports Illustrated Baseball Prospectus has him considerably higher at No. 38 in all of baseball. Baseball America lists him 83rd overall and MLB Pipeline at 97th, which puts him in a wide range depending on who you ask. The gap between those evaluations is, in a word, instructive. The skeptics point to one number: 3 home runs in 124 games in 2025. At 5’10” and 160 pounds, Ewing does not project as a power hitter, and at least one scout has penciled him in as a bench player who provides value primarily with his legs and glove. That is the floor scenario.
The ceiling scenario is the one that caused the Mets to decline a trade offer from the Miami Marlins that would have included Ewing. The Mets rejected Miami’s offer of Edward Cabrera for Ewing and Brett Baty. Rising Apple You do not turn down a major league pitcher for a Double-A outfielder unless you believe in the outfielder.
Ewing was reassigned to minor league camp on March 15, 2026, and is expected to open the season in Double-A or Triple-A as he enters his third full professional season. The expectation is a strong first half in Double-A followed by Triple-A Syracuse, with a September call-up scenario very much in play if the performance warrants it.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza watched Ewing in spring camp and offered this: “There’s a lot to like. He looks like a hitter at the plate and then the defense. Made a couple of good plays, great jumps.”
Jacob deGrom, of course, is now rehabbing in Texas and has pitched 29 innings over the past three seasons. Meanwhile, in Port St. Lucie, the compensation pick is throwing out baserunners and hitting sacrifice flies and telling his development director that he intends to make it very difficult to keep him in Single-A for long.
He was not lying.
AJ Ewing Auto /25 PSA 10 2023 Bowman 1st Orange Wave Refractor New York Mets RC | eBay
SEE HIM PLAY BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE DOES
A.J. Ewing is expected to spend meaningful time at Triple-A Syracuse in 2026, which means NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse, New York is about to become a very interesting place to spend an evening.
The Syracuse Mets open the 2026 season on the road March 27 at Worcester. The home opener is Tuesday, March 31 at NBT Bank Stadium against the Toledo Mud Hens. The regular season runs through September 20. MiLB
Individual game tickets are available directly through the Syracuse Mets at milb.com/syracuse/tickets/single-game-tickets.
The full 2026 schedule is at milb.com/syracuse/schedule.
Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster and secondary market sellers. Upper Reserved seats run $18 to $21 with fees on weeknights and $20 to $23 on weekends. MiLB Cheap baseball. Expensive memories, potentially.
Writing By: Bobby Yuker Jr.| Editing by Robbie Robertson
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